How to start a scrapbooking business

A scrapbooking business sounds like a boodle of fun, especially if you're good with graphics! There are SO many ways you could go about this, thus lots of questions to ask yourself.

What sort of scrapbooks do you want to sell? That's a pretty vague question, so let's narrow it down a bit... Do you want to sell old-fashioned sort of scrapbooks with the actual photos, various pieces of decorative paper, stickers, etc. Basically the glue and paper sort. Or, instead, would you like to sell the newer kind where the pages are designed on a computer and printed out all at once? Or, even further, do you want to sell an all digital version? Are you going to sell themed scrapbooks (baby, wedding, etc) or all sorts? Are you going to take requests, do them individually, or make lots of one scrapbook to sell?

Who is going to design it? Are you going to take someone's photos and arrange them? Do you just leave spaces for the photos? Are you offering a service where someone can use your graphics to design their own? Is this going to be an online, digital service, or will you send them printouts?

Where are you going to sell them? Do you want a brick and mortar shop? Local festivals and markets? All online? Let's suppose you want to do it mainly online... Where online? A scrapbooking website? Etsy? Are you going to create a store of your own at your own domain? Let's assume you're going to make your own on your own website. How much product can you create on your monetary and time budget? Have you factored in things like hosting and design fees if you have to pay them? How will you accept payments.. Paypal? How will you calculate shipping if you have to send a physical product?

A big step here is how will you market yourself? Who is your target audience? What do they like, where do they hang out online and in person? Do you 'know' your target customer.. what they'd be willing to click? How much money they have to spend on your scrapbook? How will you reach them- ads, flyers, forums, Twitter, Facebook? Will you run marketing campaigns? Do you know how, and if not, are you willing to learn or would you pay someone else to do it? What's your budget- time and money? Will you run contests or offer prizes to help spread the word or stick with free social marketing?

I'd also look into SEO and learn how to do that for a website. You want people to be able to find you!

A few other questions you might ask yourself are... What will you name it? Is this going to be a full-time business or a side project or hobby? What sort of money will you need to make per hour to achieve your goals? Do you know how to do business taxes... and along the same lines, do you want to be a sole-proprietor or incorporate? And, of course... What're you gonna name it?

What else can you think you'd need to know to start a scrapbooking business?

I just started scrapbooking after Charlie was born because I couldn't find a baby book I liked. Now I have a few ongoing project books on the shelf that I work on every now and then. It gets overwhelming to me, so I wouldn't want to do it as a business or anything.

I'm a little strange, pretty green, and learning to live life as a wife, future mother, and entrepreneur. Right now, my husband and I are trying for our first after 3.5 years of infertility and 2 losses. Viva la adventure!
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